2019 China World Stamp Show

        The China 2019 World Stamp Exhibition was a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It was held at the Wuhan International Expo Center from June 11-17, 2019. A total number of exhibits reaching 3,500, and it attracted philatelists from more than 80 countries and regions.
        New Zealand Post has created a special miniature sheet and first-day cover to commemorate this exhibition, featuring 2019 issue Native Alpine Flora.  

Exhibition Miniature Sheet with two $1.20 and one $2.40 stamp. 

(Surcharged $2.00 to fund Philatelic Trust for hobby support.)

2018 Bangkok Exhibition

The banner from the NZ Post website advertising this issue.

The Thailand 2018 World Stamp Exhibition was held on the auspicious occasion of The First Anniversary Celebration of H.M. King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s Royal Coronation Ceremony. It took place from 28 November – 3 December 2018.

This high-profile event showcased 2,500 exhibits from all Fédération Internationale de Philatélie member countries. The exciting and vibrant city of Bangkok boasts everything from shining temples to bustling markets which attract millions of visitors to the Thai capital each year.

2018 - Macao 2018 Exhibition.

This was the header photo for this issue on the NZ Post website.

It shows both miniature sheets and the cute little kiwi too.

The Macao stamp exhibition is the first great international philatelic event in Asia organised by the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. It took place at The Venetian Macao - Conference & Exhibition Centre from 21 to 24 September 2018.

From 1977 to 2017, a total of 34 exhibitions have been held in different parts of Asia - Macao 2018 is the 35th Asian International Stamp Exhibition.

New Zealand Post has created unique 2018 Round Kiwi and Predator Free 2050 miniature sheets and miniature sheet first day covers for this event.

2018 Armistice 1918 - 2018.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the guns fell silent along the Western Front. The First World War had effectively ended. To commemorate this important centenary and honour those who served, a series of official stamps and legal tender commemorative coins have been issued.

1997 New Zealand Wine Regions / Vineyards

In 1997, NZ Post wrote as they issued these stamps:- 
"New Zealand burst onto the world wine stage in the 1980s with striking Sauvignon Blancs that crammed more flavour into the glass than any other country had ever achieved with that classic French variety. Today's (1997) wines are riper and less green-edged in an easier-drinking style, but they are still considered to be some of the best in the world. New Zealand's climate and soils are the key assets that enable the production of outstanding table wines. Around the world, the finest wines are grown in regions with relatively cool climates where grapes are able to ripen fully but slowly, retaining their refreshing acidity while building up subtle aroma and flavours."

In 2018, when I am writing this, the wine industry of New Zealand has continued building from strength to strength. New Zealand's wine production has been undergoing rapid growth, averaging 17% per annum for the last 20 years. In 2017 New Zealand produced 285 million litres from 37,129 hectares (91,750 acres) of vineyard area, about three-quarters of which is dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc. Nearly 90% of total production is exported, chiefly to the United States, Britain and Australia, reaching another record of NZ$1.66 billion in export revenue in 2017. New Zealanders over the last ten years consumed a fairly constant 20 litres of wine per capita, about a third of which is imported from other countries, mainly Australia.

Personal Comment - New Zealanders should stop buying the cheap Australian wines dumped on our market here and start buying many of the quality New Zealand wines that can often be purchased at not much more than the Australian ones.

1990 - 1994 Stamp Exhibitions.

During the 1980s NZ Post began issuing special collectors miniature sheets to be sold at the stamp exhibitions they attended. Usually, these miniature sheets featured stamps that were currently on sale at that time, in some cases, they were overprints of existing miniature sheets but since they were actually separate issues we have decided to feature them together in this series of posts. 

This post will show all the special issues for stamp exhibitions that NZ Post attended during the period 1990 - 1994. It is most likely that we will not feature all of these issues on their own pages so they have been collected here.


1990 Stamp World London.
New Zealand Post attended the 1990 Stamp World Exhibition in London in May 1990. A miniature sheet was produced to commemorate the occasion incorporating the 50c 'Endeavour' stamp from the '1990 Heritage - the Ships' stamp issue, against a background design reproducing Captain Cook's early chart of New Zealand.

$1.30 - London '90 Exhibition Miniature Sheet with one 50 cent stamp.

Captain Cook's early chart of New Zealand featuring the 50c 'Endeavour' stamp from the 'Heritage - the Ships' stamp issue was produced to commemorate the 1990 Stamp World Exhibition in London in May 1990.

1980s Stamp Exhibitions

During the 1980s NZ Post began issuing special collectors miniature sheets to be sold at the stamp exhibitions they attended. Usually, these miniature sheets featured stamps that were currently on sale at that time, in some cases, they were overprints of existing miniature sheets but since they were actually separate issues we have decided to feature them together in this series of posts. 

This post, one of a series I'll be doing, will show all the special issues for stamp exhibitions that NZ Post attended during the 1980s. It is most likely that we will not feature most of these issues on their own pages so they have been collected here.

The first special issues for stamp exhibitions were overprints of existing miniature sheets such as the miniature sheet directly below but as you move down this page you will discover the beginning of a change from overprinted miniature sheets to sheets specially designed for particular exhibitions.



Zeapex '80 International Stamp Exhibition.
This miniature sheet was issued with and without the central overprint. It features three stamps from the 1980 Anniversaries. The issue makes the 125th anniversary of postage stamps in New Zealand and the stamps show copies of those original stamps 1855 Full-Faced Queens. Zeapex '80, the stamp exhibition held in Auckland, was part of these anniversary celebrations.


Zeapex '80 miniature sheet.
1980 Anniversaries miniature sheet with the Zeapex '80 overprint.

2017 Royalpex National Stamp Exhibition

         Royalpex 2017, (24th - 26th November) was held in Hamilton this year and attracted stamp collectors and dealers from around the country. The national stamp exhibition showed works and collections from around the country. Sometimes known as a ‘half national’ due to it having less classes available than a typical national exhibition.

        The event was ran by the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand and was proudly sponsored by New Zealand Post. As an official sponsor, New Zealand Post had a central stand at the exhibition for those wishing to purchase stamps and coins, or arrange for the special daily cancellations to be applied to mail items.

       It was an impressive event, well worth the trip down from Auckland. It was the first time all five writers of this blog attended a stamp exhibition together. We stayed at a farm near Cambridge, driving up to the exhibition each day.

Special Exhibition Collectables.
In honour of the city this year’s show was held on Hamilton. New Zealand Post created two unique products featuring imagery of Hamilton in the background. The miniature sheet features the idyllic Waikato river and three stamps from the popular 2017 Recovering Native Birds issue. The First day cover shows an aerial shot of the city as it stretches away in the distance.

1993 Royal Doulton Ceramics Exhibition

This issue commemorated the 1992 - 1993 CourierPost Royal Doulton Ceramics Exhibition in New Zealand. The exhibition included over 750 items with over four-fifths of the items displayed coming from family collections in New Zealand. The Royal Doulton Company is one of the most renowned English companies producing tableware and collectables, with a history dating back to 1815. In 1901 King Edward VII granted the Burslem factory the Royal Warrant, which allowed the business to adopt new markings and use the Royal Doulton name.

This is an issue that neither Allan or I knew much about. Sure, I have a set in my collection with their captions underneath but that was as far as I'd ever gone. Now when we came to feature these on their own page we spent a long time trying to find suitable images. The problem is that blue block down the left-hand side of each stamp. It is so dark that the value and other information is almost impossible to see. The real stamps look slightly better but they certainly do not photograph well.

1990 New Zealand World Stamp Exhibition Native Orchids

        Orchids are usually associated with the steamy heat of the tropics or the rarefied atmosphere of the professional's greenhouse, but these flowers are different. These are some of New Zealand's own native orchids. Blooming mostly in the summer months, native orchids make themselves known to the watchful field or bush walker in any of New Zealand's islands.
       The miniature sheet was issued in April 1990 in support of the New Zealand 1990 World Stamp Exhibition held in Auckland.
       An imperforate version of approx 12,000 sheets was also produced only being able to be purchased with tickets to the Stamp Exhibition - the official day of issue of this version of the sheet was 23 July 1990.

Exhibition Miniature Sheet with four 40 cents and one 80 cent stamp (Surcharged to support exhibition) New Zealand 1990 World Stamp Exhibition Auckland.

The Miniature Sheet features: 40c - Thelymitra pulchella (sun orchid); 40c - Corybas macranthus (spider orchid); 

40c - Dendrobium cunninghamii (winika orchid); 40c - Pterostylis banksii (greenhood orchid); 

80c - Aporostylis bifolia (odd-leaved orchid).

1988 Centenary Philatelic Society of New Zealand

        During the 1880s New Zealand stamps were few and far between - only a handful, all bearing the portrait of Queen Victoria, had been issued. On 5 September 1888, four collectors met to discuss their hobby; the outcome of the meeting was the Philatelic Society of New Zealand, the nation's first organised stamp collectors' group.

        Today the Society, now the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand, is far bigger, one of the leading philatelic societies in the country and is affiliated to the country's national philatelic body, the New Zealand Philatelic Federation.

        To mark 100 years of organised philately in New Zealand, the Society organised the "Royal 100" national philatelic exhibition, held in Wellington in October 1988.

New Zealand Post issued two stamps marking this 100 year period. Queen Elizabeth II is set against a background showing stamps from the 1882 Second Side-Faced Issue, each with the portrait of Queen Victoria.

2005 - 2009 Stamp Exhibitions.

During the 1980s NZ Post began issuing special collectors miniature sheets to be sold at the stamp exhibitions they attended. Usually, these miniature sheets featured stamps that were currently on sale at that time, in some cases, they were overprints of existing miniature sheets but since they were actually separate issues we have decided to feature them together in this series of posts.

This post will show all the special issues for stamp exhibitions that NZ Post attended during the period 2000 - 2004. It is most likely that we will not feature most of these issues on their own pages so they have been collected here.

  

2016 Christchurch Stamp and Postcard Exhibition

The Christchurch 2016 Stamp and Postcard Exhibition was held from 18 to 20 November at the Addington Event Centre. This national exhibition featured a full range of philatelic exhibits plus postcards and other collectables - nearly 5,000 pages of material in total. The theme of the exhibition was the centenary of the founding of the Canterbury Aviation Company by Sir Henry Wigram.

In keeping with aviation theme of the exhibition, NZ Post issued two very special exhibition products - an exhibition miniature sheet and a souvenir first day cover. The miniature sheet depicts the arrival of the Fokker Trimotor VH-USU (known as the Southern Cross) at Wigram Aerodrome on 11 September 1928, after the first successful flight between Australia and New Zealand. It incorporates a replica of the 1958 stamp that was issued to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first trans-Tasman flight. The first day cover features a scenic photo of the Avon River.

Late 80s Stamp Exhibitions.

        During the 1980s NZ Post was getting involved in a lot of international stamp exhibitions. The main driving force behind this was marketing and sales to the collector market so by promoting New Zealand stamps overseas, a greater demand was created for our stamps. There was an NZ Post stand at each exhibition and in many cases, a special miniature sheet was sold too. Usually, this sheet was just a current issue sheet overprinted with the exhibition's name, logo and details but in a few cases, a special miniature sheet was created. 
        This page has collected all of these special issues together so they can be compared and reviewed. Where possible, links will be provided back to the original issues appearing on these sheets. In some cases, you will find these special sheets are included with the original issues as well. We make no apology for this as it adds extra interest and greater depth to this blog.
                                                                                                                                            Kimberley.

1986 Stockholmia Exhibition.

The 1986 Scenic Bays and 1986 Health miniature sheets were also issued with the Stockholmia '86 overprint to celebrate New Zealand Post's attendance at the Stockholmia '86 World Philatelic Exhibition in Stockholm, Sweden.

 Exhibition Miniature Sheet with one 80 cent stamp (Surcharged to support exhibition) 1990 World Philatelic Exhibition Auckland - Stockholmia '86 Overprint.
See our post 1985 - 1986 Scenic Stamps.

1968 - Tarapex 69 Capt. Cook Labels

       

          The organizing committee of the Tarapex 69 Stamp Exhibition decided to issue a miniature sheet of four labels for promotion of the exhibition and fund raising. The theme of three of these labels was Captain Cook since 1969 was going to be the Bi-centenary of Cook discovering New Zealand.

         This post is a small collection of this miniature sheet showing the exhibition cancels and some printing errors. There are also other covers and items related to both Tarapex '69 and Tarapex '86. While some might consider exhibition labels to be outside the field of postage stamps, it has been the policy of this blog to explore other areas of postal history as well. In saying this, we consider that labels that accompany postage stamps on a cover, must be well within the scope of this blog.

       You will notice that these labels did not carry any postal value. They were only used to promote the exhibition and raise funding through souvenirs. The later issue for Tarapex '86 did carry a postal value.

1990 Scenic / 150th Anniversaries

       In 1990 the annual Scenic issue was combined with an Anniversary Issue. Each of the cities or locations were celebrating 150 year anniversaries.

80c - Akaroa
Captain Jean Langlois, a French whaler from Havre, first sailed into Akaroa Harbour in 1838.  He was most favourably impressed with what he saw and began negotiations with the Maori to purchase a portion of the peninsula.  This was the beginning of the French attempt to establish a colony in the area, only to discover that British sovereignty had been declared over the whole of the South Island.

Akaroa never developed into a town or city of any size because it quickly became over shadowed the Littleton Port and Christchurch City but it has remained an peaceful farming town while in more recent years large cruise ships have started using the harbour to provide their passengers with something different while saving the high port fees of Littleton.

2015 Capital Stamp Show.

In 2015 which marked 150 years since Parliament moved from Auckland to Wellington, the Wellington Philatelic Society hosted this year’s annual stamp show at the TSB Bank Arena, Wellington. To commemorate The Capital Stamp Show 2015, New Zealand Post issued an exhibition miniature sheet and souvenir cover.

This miniature sheet shows a photo of the farewell parade for the 6th Reinforcements on Lambton Quay, Wellington, on 14 August 1915 and contain three stamps from the 1915: The Spirit of Anzac commemorative stamp issue, commemorating 100 years since the Gallipoli campaign.

Singapore 2015 World Stamp Exhibition

Singapore 2015 was the third World Stamp Exhibition to be held in Singapore. It was held in conjunction with Singapore's 50th year of independence, with the full support and patronage of the Federation lnternationale de Philatelie (FIP) and under the auspices of the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately.

To mark this exhibition, New Zealand Post issued one stamp of a joint issue between Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. This stamp shows a great view of the New Zealand Houses of Parliament in Wellington. The other two stamps also included the Houses of Parliament in their respective countries. (See the miniature sheet below.)

2009 - 2010 Scenic Definitives.

Definitive Tour.

   Back to 2007 Scenic Definitives.                                           Forward to 2012 Scenic Definitives.  

   

   New Zealand Post continued with its Scenic Definitive Series with two issues in 2009 & 2010. Again the scenes were spread widely across New Zealand. While I like these stamps and have enjoyed featuring them in this series of posts I can't help wondering if this definitive series doesn't get mixed up with issues from the longer running scenic series that appears each year.   

2000 Scenic Definitives.

Definitives Tour.

Back to 1995 - 1997 Scenic Definitives.                   Forward to 2003 Scenic Definitives.

         The second post of our Scenic Definitives will only cover one year, 2000. The six value 2000 issue of Scenic Definitives was designed as an add-on to the previous 1996.97 issue which was still currently on sale. The stamps were issued in two sets, 4 values in March 2000 and the remaining 2 in October. In between, in April, the $1.10 stamp was reproduced in an adhesive format.

6 March 2000.

        

The Otago Peninsula - $1.00.                           The Kaikoura Coast - $1.10.